Plaza Calixto García

Plaza Calixto García Review

Holguín's small historic district hugs the Plaza Calixto García, a square graced by large trees and a marble bust of Calixto García, a local general in the Ten Years War (1868-78) for independence from Spain. It's lined with colonial buildings containing residences, small shops, the Casa de la Trova (where music is often performed), the Teatro Comandante Eddy Sunoi, and the Centro de Arte Salón Moncada, with its occasional painting and photography exhibits.

The Museo Historia Provincial, in the former Casino Español at the plaza's north end, contains an exhibit of pre-Columbian artifacts as well as displays on the Revolution and the province's role in it. Locally, the redbrick building is known as La Periquera (The Parrot Cage), because brightly dressed Spanish officers peered through its barred windows while the city was under siege by General García's troops in 1868. 198 Calle Frexes, Holguín, Holguín. 24/46-3395. 1 cuc. Mon.-Sat. noon-7.